The State sector scheme on artificial recharge to groundwater through dug-wells is under implementation over the first three years of the (current) XI Plan Period (2007-12), in 1180 over-exploited, critical and semi-critical blocks/ talukas/ mandals in seven states of the hard-rock peninsular region of India, namely Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The target beneficiary of the scheme are farmers who have privately owned wells, in their agricultural land.
The scheme has been taken up under the mandate of the Overall Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Groundwater, prepared in 2002 by the Central Ground Water Board. Its estimated cost is Rs. 1798.71 crores, of which the total subsidy component is Rs 1499.27 crores. Provision has been made for hundred per cent subsidy to small and marginal farmers and fifty per cent subsidy to other farmers. The funding of the scheme will be done by the Ministry of Finance through NABARD.
Through local community involvement in water resources management in the affected areas, the scheme aims to improve the groundwater situation, increase sustainability of wells during lean (summer) period and improve quality of groundwater. The total number of irrigation dugwells proposed for recharge is about 4.45 million, of which about 2.72 million are owned by small and marginal farmers and 1.73 million are owned by other farmers, with the average cost of recharge structure per well being about Rs. 4000.
The attached scheme document provides details of the blocks/mandals/talukas in each of the seven target States, where the scheme is being taken up, along with the details of the total dug-wells that will be recharged. The guidelines and amendments to this scheme were released in 2009-10.
Download the documents here: